I know that this is not how FARK works, but I need to share. I have a number of spinal injuries acquired during my 7 years in the Army. I applied for disability, and was initially denied. I continued to get treatment from VA medical facilities, although I had to pay, unless I was in school and unemployed (which was not very often). When one of my doctors found out I was paying, he was in complete disbelief that I did not have a disability rating. I subsequently, at his urging, reapplied for benefits 18 months ago. My claim has gone nowhere, because the VA cannot find my military medical records.

What upsets me about this is that I can mostly function in my day to day (even if I move like a 70 year old man in the morning!), but there are young men and women out there who cannot, and they are receiving the same neglect I am experiencing.

This weekend, instead of taking 30 minutes to go by a new flag at Walmart, please write a letter to your congressman asking them to do something meaningful for our veterans.

My GF is a tech writer working on a contract for the VA. They are updating their medical records system overhaul. Her experience dealing with the VA on a client basis alone has been enough to turn her away from being a raging lib on healthcare to someone that does not want the government anywhere near it. My experience with my grandfather's care was enough for me.

I have not met anyone with a good VA story. They all have stories, but none are good.

This is a big problem for the VA. Whenever there's a budget cut (read: every time congress meets on budget matters) the VA has to cut personnel and operations.

Here's the quandary Do they cut surgeons? ER staff? Nursing? General Medicine? Radiology? Nope. Those are all vital to the patients health and safety.They cut the administrative and clerks. Meaning, the guys doing paperwork, reviewing cases, taking phone calls.It's about the only department in the hospital that's SAFE to cut. Which means, extended wait times for claims results.

If those assholes in congress dont want to pay for veteran benefits, they should STOP MAKING SO MANY VETERANS!

1. The VA for the most part is staffed by unionized civil service employees. To expect anything approaching efficiency from a group that is very hard to fire is unrealistic. The VA should be staffed as much as possible by Veterans. Veterans taking care of their own

2. VA benefits, like the tax code, MEDICARE, Obamacare etc are an overly complex bureaucratic nightmare resistant to change because to many careers/jobs (see 1. above) are tied to keeping it that way. If you were to streamline the system you would need fewer people to run it.

3. Making the VA a cabinet level agency solved nothing. In fact it made it worse by giving veterans another level of bureaucracy to deal with. It should be place under the DOD as major command with a flag officer appointed as commander. with a military command staff-far easier to relieve of command than a bunch of civilians.

4. The current head of the VA is the same genius who thought he could solve the Army's morale problems back in the 1990s by buying them all a bunch new French looking hats.

Emposter:simusid: Politicians have to see this as a problem before it will get fixed

GOP: what problem?Step 1. Claim government can't do anything right.Step 2. Create problem.Step 3. Refund govt agency responsible for dealing with said problem.Step 4. Claim that its all the Democrats' fault because the government isn't fixing things.Step 5. Get reelected by idiots.Step 6. Victory. Party before country forever!

simusid:Politicians have to see this as a problem before it will get fixed

GOP: what problem?Step 1. Claim government can't do anything right.Step 2. Create problem.Step 3. Refund govt agency responsible for dealing with said problem.Step 4. Claim that its all the Democrats' fault because the government isn't fixing things.Step 5. Get reelected by idiots.Step 6. Victory. Party before country forever!

vudukungfu:It is theVETERAN,not the preacher,who has given us freedom of religion.

No, that was politicians passing the 1st Amendment.

It isthe VETERAN,not the reporter,who has given us freedom of the press.

First amendment again, plus the jury in the 1735 Zenger libel trial.

It isthe VETERAN,not the poet,who has given us freedom of speech.

Guess what? First amendment again.

It isthe VETERAN,not the campus organizer,who has given us freedom to assemble.

No, that was the NAACP, its lawyers and the Supreme Court. Ten years later soldiers were shooting protesters at Kent State for exercise their right to freedom of assembly.

It istheVETERAN,not the lawyer,who has given us the right to a fair trial.

Bzzzzzt. Sixth amendment. Lawyers and politicians, again.

It isthe VETERAN,not the politician,Who has given us the right to vote.

Depends who you mean by "us". Rich white men could vote after independence. Everyone else had to wait for ... who else ... lawyers and politicians.

Don't kid yourself. US veterans have fought in honourable wars, unnecessary wars, well planned wars and disastrous wars, but no US veteran ever has fought in a war which threatened the basic rights and liberties of America and Americans.

You want to hold a war or two, then you have to pay for it. ALL of it. Including the aftermath. Rumsfeld apparently didn't get that at any level, and nobody's put in enough money since then to catch up.

Recognize the large increase in the number of disabled vets and pay for their care, too.

Stop running hospitals for vets that are decades old.

And while you're at it - fund the GI Bill programs, set up some job-training programs for soldiers before they muster out, build some housing for them while they're still serving, close a few bases, quit building tanks nobody wants and planes that kill their pilots, and turn ten percent of that saved procurement money over to the VA, and do all of the above.

And then, once the VA has the tools, talent and tin to actually run properly - realize that the public hospitals in this country are even worse than the VA is now, and do something about that next. Or first, and give the vets somewhere else to obtain care, for those too far away from a VA hospital to make the trip regularly.

IF the republicans are going to focus their energy on making a stink about something in order to make Obama look bad, I wish it was this issue. If they truly were the party of patriots and "support our troops" they should hammer this issue non-stop. Here is something where they can make a difference in thousands of people's lives and possibly find favor with the voting public.

Instead, they will focus on Benghazi where Hillary was somewhat correct: "What difference does it make." The republican outrage will not bring back those who have died. All they will accomplish is a few people will resign and get a little mud on Obama.

AP reporter snooping: again, someone will resign and they get a little mud on Obama.

Tax focus on Tea Party: someone will resign and more mud to sling.

so there current plan leaves: four people still dead, a handful of people will losing their jobs and being able to point a finger at Obama until about 10 newscycles from now.

ManRay:My GF is a tech writer working on a contract for the VA. They are updating their medical records system overhaul. Her experience dealing with the VA on a client basis alone has been enough to turn her away from being a raging lib on healthcare to someone that does not want the government anywhere near it. My experience with my grandfather's care was enough for me.

I have not met anyone with a good VA story. They all have stories, but none are good.

The VA is severely underfunded. This is what you get when you follow the small government ideology to it's conclusion.America sends it's youth to fight for it's interests, then America should see to it that those who return are taken care of.

Hint, there is one party in particular that has taken a solid stance against funding Government Services.